The Digester
Week 7, Friday

Ring cancels Flock Safety integration after surveillance backlash

Amazon-owned Ring says it has canceled a planned integration with Flock Safety following intense public criticism, and that the integration never launched so no Ring videos were shared; Ring also says Community Requests will continue and its Axon partnership is unaffected.

  • Ring and Flock jointly canceled the planned integration after a review found it would require more time and resources than expected.
  • Ring says the integration never launched and no Ring customer videos were sent to Flock Safety.
  • The partnership drew heavy public backlash amid reports that Flock allowed ICE and other federal agencies access to its camera network.
  • User protests intensified after Ring aired a Super Bowl ad for its Search Party feature that many said raised mass surveillance concerns.
  • Ring says its Community Requests program will continue and that its Axon partnership is unaffected by the cancellation.
  • Privacy advocates and Sen. Ed Markey have pressured Amazon to limit Ring's facial recognition features, including Familiar Faces.

Sources

theverge.com